Quote: (12-22-2018 05:38 PM)Shemp Wrote:
222 ng/dL is very low for age 40, so needs to be fixed, but you should spend at least a year trying natural methods to boost total testosterone. Injecting testosterone (once you start you can never stop) should be like radical surgery for obesity, a last resort. Speaking of obesity, do you have a six pack? If not, get one, starting today. Dieting may crush your already low testosterone, so don't do blood tests again until you have the six pack. Once you resume eating normally (and healthy), testosterone should surge within a day or two. Do you get plenty of sleep? If not, fix that problem as well. Are you under stress? Fix that problem. Do you exercise, either calisthenics or weightlifting? If not, start. Too much exercise, especially cardio, may crush testosterone. Start with my quick (though not easy) 5 minute morning routine: 60 pushups, 60 squat jumps, 60 hindu squats. Add another minute of pullups if you have a bar avail.
It's good to see that someone is suggesting restraint in TRT. There are a lot of men out there who recommend shooting up TRT as the only way to go. Some of the suggestions I've seen on various forums start sounding like what I would hear from a bunch of junkies talking about the latest drug.
Personally, I have a very strong aversion to any kind of dependency or addiction. I'm planning on getting together with a doctor who seems to have a clue and get lots of testing done. Where am I now as far as testosterone and other related hormone? Where am I in terms of various micronutrients? Using that information as a starting point, work on the various deficiencies and see where I am in a few months.
I have a couple of friends on TRT. One just started using a patch delivery system and is having a bit of trouble with it. The other has been on TRT for quite a while now with some problems. Currently his doctor is using an "off label" system where he uses an insulin needle to deliver a small dose every day or two instead of the big IM dose every couple of weeks that led to huge mood swings. These are the sorts of things I'm paying attention to, because I don't fully trust doctors.
I also recently met a guy in his 70s who is taking Clomid to reduce how much his system down regulates testosterone production, so his testosterone is all produced "in house".
This is where I stand. Your body is your business.